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Canberra Today 25°/28° | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

New systems to prevent abandoned trolleys

FOLLOWING complaints from the public about abandoned trolleys on nature strips, in parks and by the roadside, the ACT government has put new systems in place this week to ensure retailers prevent trolleys from going astray.  trolley collage

Minister for Transport and City Services Meegan Fitzharris says: “Over recent months, Transport Canberra and City Services has been working closely with major retail providers to ensure they comply with shopping trolley management and the regulatory requirements of the ‘Litter Act 2004’.

“This means that major retailers in the ACT should now have containment systems in place such as coin operated locking systems, electronic wheel locking mechanisms or staff surveillance to help stop shopping trolleys being taken away from the shopping precinct. 

“Customers may have noticed new coin lock systems being rolled out across supermarkets and shopping centres recently. This is the result of calls from the public for more to be done to stop shopping trolleysbeing abandoned or ending up in our bush and waterways. 

“This has been an ongoing and problematic issue. Abandoned trolleys create safety and environmental hazards as well as being an eyesore.”

Fitzharris says city rangers will use apps developed by retailers to advise them of shopping trolleys located outside shopping centre precincts for their collection.

“Where trolleys are not collected by retailers, city rangers will seize and impound them. Retailers are then required to pay a $123 fee to retrieve the impounded trolley,” says Fitzharris. 

Members of the community are reminded that they can report abandoned trolleys to Access Canberra on 13 22 81 or via the Fix My Street portal at www.act.gov.au/fixmystreet

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2 Responses to New systems to prevent abandoned trolleys

Chris Emery says: 19 February 2017 at 3:14 pm

It was explained to me by a City Ranger that is cheaper for the supermarkets to buy a replacement trolley and leave their trolleys impounded by the Rangers than to pay the fine, get the trolley back and transport the trolley back to the store. The Rangers then have to arrange crushing and hopefully recycling. Stupid system!

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Marg says: 23 February 2017 at 4:29 pm

Well the supermarket should be sent the bill for the actual cost of collecting & destroying the trolleys & for being irresponsible business owners and members of society, $500+ per trolley should have got them to collect them. l am sick of paying for trolley, getting to trolley bay to return to find l can’t claim my refund as the trolley to plug into is wrong size. in protest recently I spread 12 trolleys who all had had this issue, across their driveway as my little protest.

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